Kim Basinger, Pursued on All Fronts

While She Was Out

Kim Basinger in "While She Was Out," a 2008 film directed by Susan Montford. Credit
Anchor Bay Entertainment

A cretinous thriller with revenge-fantasy undertones, “While She Was Out” casts a stringy Kim Basinger as Della, a suburban housewife facing Christmas Eve with an abusive husband (“I want you to keep the house clean!”) and no wrapping paper. No prizes for guessing which problem she finds more pressing.

Leaving her adorable twins in the sozzled care of the man who just threatened to break her arm, Della heads for the mall — where carolers trill of “Satan’s power” — and onto the radar of four skinny sociopaths with rape on their minds and probably a truant officer on their tails.

“It’s Bulgari!”

“Smells more like Chanel,” they bicker, as they track their quarry to a deserted construction site where Della, armed only with a weekly mechanics class and a little red toolbox, prepares to fight for her life.

Embracing outraged victimhood the way Angelina Jolie embraces a close-up, Ms. Basinger, doing double duty here as an executive producer, appears oblivious to the script’s idiocies. (“It ain’t natural how she keeps getting away all the time,” grumbles one thug.)

Consequently, audiences familiar with the star’s continuing personal trials may feel inclined to connect the transference dots and suggest to Alec Baldwin that he hire a few more bodyguards.

“While She Was Out” is rated R (Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian). Characters suffer a screwdriver in the ear and a lug nut wrench up the nostril.

WHILE SHE WAS OUT

Opens on Friday in New York and Los Angeles.

Written and directed by Susan Montford; based on the short story by Edward Bryant; director of photography, Steve Gainer; edited by William Anderson; music by Paul Haslinger; production designer, Patrick Banister; produced by Don Murphy, Kirk Shaw and Mary Aloe; released by Anchor Bay Entertainment. Running time: 1 hour 28 minutes.